Campaigners are calling on the government to lift a ban that will prevent pubs in Gedling borough from selling takeaway beer during the upcoming lockdown.
Official guidelines state that although restaurants, bars and pubs must close from Thursday (November 5), food takeaway and delivery services are still permitted – but serving alcohol to take away is not.
Struggling pub bosses in the borough could now be forced to pour any beer they have left in their cellars down the drain.
Now the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) is calling on drinkers to email Gedling MP Tom Randall and get the ban lifted.
CAMRA’s national chairman Nik Antona said: “Offering alcohol for takeaway was a lifeline for many pubs, and particularly breweries, during the first lockdown in England.
“It is a baffling and damaging decision to remove this option, particularly when other businesses such as supermarkets can continue to sell takeaway alcohol.”
“Pubs and breweries were already reporting losses and the risk of closure before Christmas, and this will only add to the risk of permanent closures within the next few months.
“CAMRA and the entire pub and brewery industry are now urging the Government to reverse this bizarre decision and ensure the survival of our pubs and breweries.
“We are encouraging all concerned consumers to write to their MP and request the scrapping of the takeaway sales ban to give pubs and brewers in England a better chance of surviving the lockdown.
“We also need a sector-specific support package to avoid permanent closures, otherwise the damage to communities across the country will be irreparable.”
Campaigners have now created a template that can be used to email MPs here: https://camra.e-activist.com/page/68352/action/1
I wish you would stop using the word “boozers”. It is such a negative term.